Crime

A woman was brutally beaten by two Los Angeles Police Department officers after she was pulled over for using her cellphone on August 11. Video of the incident was captured by surveillance cameras.

Officers followed Michelle Jordan, 34, into a Del Taco restaurant parking lot. According to the Los Angeles Times, they told her to stay in her car, but Jordan refused and began arguing with them. The officers immediately knocked her to the ground.

Jordan was handcuffed and able to stand up after the body slam, but the beat down wasn't over. The officers body slammed her again moments later when she was standing by the patrol car.

She was finally allowed to sit in the car after the second body slam. As she sat in the back, the two police officers engaged in a celebratory fist bump before entering the vehicle.

Raymond Branch, an eyewitness, was outside the Del Taco when the incident occurred and was shocked by how the police handled it.

"The first part, I believe they had a right to arrest her for resisting, but the second part was overboard," he said.

Jordan and her attorneys admit it was wrong of her to argue with the police, but Jordan had accepted her arrest and was not acting violent toward the officers. They have filed a personal complaint against the officers as they believe she was treated with unnecessary force.

Sy Nazif, one of Jordan's attorneys, said "she made some unwise moves. But certainly nothing that warranted a physical assault from the LAPD. If anyone on the street attacked an innocent woman, they would be in jail. We expect the LAPD officers to be held to the same standard."

The LAPD is investigating the matter. One officer has 22 years of service while the other is a probationary officer with 10 months of experience. They have been assigned to duties off of the field until the matter is resolved.

LAPD chief Charlie Beck said, "My initial review of the officers' statements and the recorded video cause me to have serious concerns about this Use of Force. We will investigate this thoroughly and hold our officers accountable for their actions."

This is the latest in a serious of incidents involving brute force by LAPD officers.

Ronald Weekley Jr., 20, was tackled and pinned earlier this month by officers outside his Venice home. The arrest was caught on a mobile phone, and the matter is still under investigation.

Brian Mulligan, an executive at Deutsche Bank, filed a $50 million lawsuit on Monday against the LAPD for beating him and holding him captive on May 15.

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